School: Probe involves inappropriate student behavior

A situation that brought a police investigation to Eastside Elementary School in Constantine is the result of inappropriate behavior between two kindergarten students.

By Jef RietsmaJournal Correspondent

A situation that brought a police investigation to Eastside Elementary School in Constantine is the result of inappropriate behavior between two kindergarten students.

In a letter sent to parents, Constantine Public Schools Superintendent Chuck Frisbie stated the investigation centers on “incidents that may have occurred in a kindergarten classroom” at the Young 5s-through-second-grade school.

Frisbie indicated classroom parents were notified of the investigation Nov. 29, shortly after the matter was brought to the attention of school personnel.

For now, the students involved are not in their assigned classroom, pending the results of the investigation and at this time there is no reason to suspect other students at Eastside Elementary are involved, Frisbie wrote.

Frisbie said he wished to make it clear that pending the investigation and according to district policy, the classroom teacher has been suspended with pay.

“There are no criminal concerns with the teacher,” Frisbie stressed.

At this point, he added, it would be inappropriate for district personnel to comment on the situation until all facts have been collected.

Upon completion of the investigation, the district will schedule a parent meeting to inform them of what it can do within its legal limits and field any concerns regarding how the situation has been handled.

Neither Frisbie nor Constantine police are sure when the investigation will be complete. Frisbie previously said the investigation involves 5-year-olds, warranting a methodical approach to the investigation.

“Dealing with kids that age could take a while … we obviously want the investigation performed correctly and thoroughly,” he said Monday night.

Frisbie and school officials met privately Monday with about 15 parents for 90 minutes to discuss the matter.

He declined to elaborate on the circumstances that warranted the investigation, and did not indicate if the students involved are suspended, temporarily reassigned to another class or in school but not attending a traditional classroom.